Two storm lows are sweeping across Germany. Schools are closing in many places, and there is a storm surge warning on the North Sea coast. In some places, sandbags are supposed to protect against the impending flood.
Offenbach/Hamburg – Fallen trees, loose roof tiles, canceled flights and delayed trains: Storm depression “Ylenia” initially hit the north and east of Germany in particular.
The fire brigades and police control centers reported numerous operations in the morning, but there was no major damage for the time being. The German Weather Service (DWD) in Offenbach had previously issued severe weather warnings for Wednesday evening to Thursday evening, mainly for the northern half of the country.
The cold front is gaining momentum!
In the east it is very active and drives a thunderstorm cluster to the south. Some heavy showers and thunderstorms also post-frontal. At these and in the vicinity of the front, heavy gusts of wind or hurricane-like gusts are now increasing. /V pic.twitter.com/z5hbUAAOyY— DWD (@DWD_presse) February 17, 2022
Some of the flood levels on the Lower Saxony North Sea coast were lower than expected. Unlike for Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg, the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) had not warned of a storm surge here either. However, it was calculated with water levels about 1 meter higher than the mean high water (MHW). According to a BSH spokesman, the water levels on Borkum were about 84 centimeters above the mean high water level. On Norderney, the water rose to 1.01 meters above sea level. Values of 1.15 meters were reached in Emden and 1.09 in Wilhelmshaven.
State of emergency in Berlin
In Schleswig-Holstein, on the other hand, there was a storm surge. In Husum, at the Eidersperre and in Büsum, for example, the flood values were more than 1.5 meters above the mean flood. Exact figures were not initially available.
In the Hamburg Elbe area, the flood should reach values that are 1.5 to 2 meters higher than the average flood. Then the fish market in Altona should be partly flooded again – like a few times earlier this year.
The Berlin fire brigade declared a state of emergency because of the storm “Ylenia”. Since 2 a.m. there has been a sharp increase in weather-related operations. Several volunteer fire brigades were called into service to support the professional fire brigade. In Lichterfelde, for example, three trees fell on several parked cars and a light pole was also carried away. There were initially no reports of injuries from Berlin.
The @Berliner_Fw declared the #state of emergency weather at 2:30 a.m. due to #Storm #YLENIA. Several #volunteer_firebrigades| are now called into service and support our professional fire brigade in coping with the operations. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/xio0caZ3ut
— Berlin Fire Department (@Berliner_Fw) February 17, 2022
A corona test station in Kleve on the Lower Rhine could not withstand the storm on Wednesday evening. The wind destroyed the tent of the drive-in test center in North Rhine-Westphalia, according to the fire brigade. According to firefighters, no one was injured.
The storm also affected rail and air traffic. Fallen trees hampered trains. The extent was initially limited during the night. A tree fell on the tracks near Buchholz between Bremen and Hamburg. An ICE therefore had to be diverted, as a railway spokesman said. According to the company, trees in North Rhine-Westphalia blocked isolated side routes in the Dortmund area. The Dortmund-Münster connection was temporarily affected. Deutsche Bahn advised to find out about delays or train cancellations.
As a precaution, Lufthansa canceled 20 flights, as the company announced on request during the night. Travelers were advised to check the airline’s website for the status of their flight. According to the operator, connections to Berlin, Hamburg and Munich are affected at the largest German airport in Frankfurt.
⚠ #Severe weather warning: It is possible that rail traffic nationwide will be affected from February 17th to 19th, 2022. Please inform yourself about your connection. Current information: https://t.co/rnaSSELCgU and https://t.co/j7vLplli3M. Free hotline: 08000 996633. #Storm
— Deutsche Bahn passenger transport (@DB_Bahn) February 16, 2022
According to the German Weather Service, average wind speeds of 120 kilometers per hour were measured between 12:30 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. on the exposed Brocken in the Harz Mountains. The peak wind during this period was 152 kilometers per hour.
No lessons in NRW
In other parts of Germany, too, there were hurricane gusts and hurricane-like gusts in exposed locations such as mountain peaks: In the above-mentioned period, wind speeds of an average of 87 km/h were measured on the Feldberg in the Black Forest, with peaks of 125 km/h. There were heavy gusts of wind, for example, at Cape Arkona on Rügen (77 km/h, 105 km/h peak) and at the Kiel lighthouse (79 km/h, 101 km/h peak).
In North Rhine-Westphalia, state school minister Yvonne Gebauer (FDP) canceled classes. Schoolchildren are also allowed to stay at home in several regions of Lower Saxony or Bavaria because of the weather hazards.
According to the DWD, the wind from low “Ylenia” will slowly decrease from Thursday afternoon. However, the breather should only be brief. The next hurricane – called “Zeynep” – is expected to come from the British Isles as early as Friday afternoon.
According to the DWD, the northern half in particular will probably be affected again. But the forecasts are not entirely certain: “The models still have very different simulations,” said press spokesman and meteorologist Andreas Friedrich on Wednesday. The weather situation is very dynamic.
Zoos, cemeteries and ski resorts closed
According to the ADAC in North Rhine-Westphalia, motorists should leave their cars where they are and avoid trips that are not absolutely necessary. Fallen trees or branches must be expected at any time. Deutsche Bahn announced that goodwill regulations for the validity of long-distance tickets already purchased would apply for the Thursday/Friday period. More flexible use over several days or free cancellations are possible.
#Storm low #Xandra and #Ylenia come to Germany: At the #North Sea there is a threat of #hurricane gusts of up to 120 km/h. Motorists must expect disabilities, the @DB_Bahn expects train cancellations. All information and tips 👇 #storm #storm warning #hurricane /nthttps://t.co/w39foBSQxy
— ADAC (@ADAC) February 16, 2022
Numerous zoos, for example in Berlin, Wuppertal in North Rhine-Westphalia and in Magdeburg (Saxony-Anhalt), should remain closed as a precaution. Visiting cemeteries was forbidden here and there. Many ski areas also prepared for the hurricane lows. The Fichtelberg suspension railway in Saxony was already standing still on Wednesday. Because of the risk of tree breakage, some trails are to be closed. Weekly markets have been canceled in many cities.
At the end of January, the storm “Nadia” swept through northern and eastern Germany with dangerous gusts, causing millions in damage. According to the DWD meteorologist Andreas Friedrich, the current storms are comparable to the “Nadia” low in terms of wind peaks. From his point of view, however, the current situation is more explosive, “because we have a chain of storm lows”. dpa
